Rod construction and method of forming the same

ABSTRACT

A rod construction has an inner core of high tensile strength such as a rod or bar of high tensile steel. The reinforcement core has a plurality of surface indentations, preferably uniformly arranged at spaced intervals along the length of the core periphery. Layers of tensioned longitudinal and spiral filaments embedded in a resin matrix are formed about the core periphery so as to provide a rod of excellent strength and corrosion resistance. 
     In a further embodiment, the rod may have male threads disposed at opposed ends for engagement with femal threads of a coupling. In yet another embodiment, the rod is integrally formed at opposed ends with male and female threads. The female threads are formed adjacent the inner periphery of a band reinforcement concentrically embedded in one rod end. 
     In those rod applications in which the weight and strength of a steel core are not desired or necessary, a rod construction is provided consisting of alternate layers of glass filaments arranged parallel and transversely to the rod longitudinal axis embedded in a matrix of cured resin with no metal core.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a rod construction, and more specificallypertains to a rod construction particularly adapted to function as asucker rod in production oil wells.

In a production oil well in which the subsurface pressure isinsufficient to effect oil flow, the oil may be elevated by subsurfacepump having its discharge barrel connected to the bottom of a string oftubing. The pump plunger is operated by sucker rods passing up throughthe tubing. The sucker rod string is reciprocated in the vertical planeby actuating means at the surface and the oil is pumped to the surfacethrough the tubing string.

In the course of such reciprocation, long rod strings are subjected tosevere flexing and tensile stresses since the rod string must not onlybe self-supporting but, in addition, must support the head of oil in thewell tubing disposed above the pump plunger in which the rod string isreciprocating. It is also known that oil production from differentfields varies in corrosiveness and and the resulting degree of attack onthe rods; such attack may be so severe as to result in metal rod failureafter short periods of use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Although the prior art has recognized the desirability ofplastic-surfaced sucker rods as in Brown U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,582 forpurposes of reducing paraffin build-up on such sucker rods, the art hasnot suggested the use of a partially plastic, glass-reinforced suckerrod construction for purposes of providing superior strength as well assuperior operating characteristics.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a novel rodconstruction comprising a core of high tensile material such as 4130steel is embedded within an outer shell of glass filament-reinforcedcured resin. The tensile strength provided by the shell provides thecomposite rod construction with excellent tensile strength and flexingcharacteristics, although lighter in weight than a steel rod ofcomparable size. The provided rod, in addition to the exceptionalstrength characteristics, possesses the corrosion resistance of achemically inert resin, a most desirable characteristic when employed inoil field operations.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a novel,composite rod construction comprising a high tensile steel coreencapsulated in a cured resin shell reinforced by glass filaments.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a reinforced suckerrod construction having a superior flexural modulus, of optimum weightwhich is of less weight than a rod of solid steel so as to minimizeenergy consumption in the course of pump operation while being ofadequate weight so as to allow efficient insertion into a well tubing inthe absence of excessive flexing and "floating."

It is another object of this invention to provide a rod constructionhaving shear-resistant threads integrally formed in a female couplingend by use of a novel reinforcing band embedded in said end. Suchthreads may also be formed in a discrete coupling member adapted toengage the pin ends of joined rods.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel method offorming a sucker rod construction in which the excellent tensilestrength of glass is employed to contribute to the overall tensilestrength of the rod construction.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel rodconstruction consisting of longitudinal and spiral layers of glassfilaments under tension embedded in a matrix of cured resin which is ofexceptional tensile strength and corrosion resistance and particularlyadapted for use in applications requiring such desired properties aswell as light weight.

The above and other objects of this invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed discussion when read in the light of theaccompanying drawing and appended claims.

In one embodiment of this invention a longitudinal assemblage of glassroving strands is positioned about the periphery of a high tensile steelcore, parallel to the core axis and placed under tension. The glassfilaments comprising the strands are preferably untwisted to eliminateself-cutting action thereof. The steel rod or bar comprises the core ofa composite rod construction in which a cured resin shell is disposedabout the entire outer core periphery.

The steel core may be threaded or provided with regularly spaced annularindentations disposed along the core axis and arranged substantiallynormal to said axis. The glass filament or strand assemblage is lockedadjacent opposed ends of the core while in the tensioned state, andsaturated with a hardenable epoxy resin composition. With the resin inthe uncured state, spiral windings of resin-saturated glass roving arewound along the core length so as to urge the longitudinal glassfilaments into the surface indentations.

Additional layers of resin-saturated longitudinal strands and spiralwindings are applied to the core until a rod of desired dimensions isformed. The resin is then cured at desired curing temperatures, carebeing taken during the cure to avoid separation or delamination betweenthe core and the surrounding resin jacket. In accordance with thisinvention each spiral filament layer comprises two strata of filamentswound under tension about the underlying, rotating rod core portion,with the tension imparted by each layer spiral component beingneutralized by the other spiral component as will hereinafter beexplained in greater detail.

Resin male teeth may be formed about the external periphery of onecompleted rod end by means of an appropriate male thread mold. Areinforcing metal band may be centrally embedded in the resin shell atthe opposed coupling rod end having female threads therein. Such teethmay be formed adjacent the inner periphery of the reinforcing band bymeans of a female thread mold as will hereinafter be explained ingreater detail.

In an embodiment of a rod construction formed in accordance with thisinvention, the core reinforcement above described is omitted and the rodconsists of tensioned longitudinal spiral filament layers embedded in aresin matrix. The innermost center "core" or layer of such a rodcomprises longitudinal resin-saturated filaments under tension rotatedas a unit and about which are wound resin-saturated spiral filamentsunder tension. The spirals are wound simultaneously in such a mannerwhereby the tensions on the rotating, partially formed rod portionexerted by the spiral filaments offset each other, resulting in astraight rod construction of high tensile strength and corrosionresistance.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference will nowbe made to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a threaded core member whichmay be employed as a reinforcing element in one embodiment of the rodconstruction provided in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified reinforcing coreelement which may be employed in a reinforced rod construction of thisinvention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly broken away,illustrating a reinforced rod construction made in accordance with thisinvention in the process of being formed, together with apparatusemployed during formation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a rod member formed inaccordance with the teachings of this invention, partly broken away, andillustrating clamping members in spaced-apart relationship with endportions of the partially-formed, reinforced rod;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a reinforced rodconstruction made in accordance with the teachings of this inventionhaving male threads formed on the left-hand end thereof and having malethreads in the process of being formed on the right-hand end thereof;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of an end portion of a reinforcedrod construction made in accordance with the teachings of this inventionin which female threads are formed integrally in a coupling end portionof such rod construction;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a mold member adapted to formmale threads on the exterior end surface of a reinforced rodconstruction made in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view, partially broken away, of arod construction made in accordance with the teachings of this inventionhaving male threads formed on one end portion and transverse femalethreads formed on the opposed end portion thereof;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a glass reinforced rod member having acentral reinforcing metal core;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 of a coupling member andfemale thread forms disposed therein, the coupling having opposed femalethreads adapted to receive the male threads of rods formed in accordancewith the teachings of this invention such as the male threads of the rodillustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings;

FIG. 11 is a somewhat schematic, side elevational view of opposed glassfilament reels in the course of simultaneously feeding spiral wraps ontoa central, partially-formed rod construction having no reinforcing core;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of apparatus employed in forming a glassreinforced-resin rod having no central core reinforcement;

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view of a rod formed in accordancewith this invention having no central core reinforcement;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a chucking device which may beemployed to securely engage opposed ends of a partially formed rod forpurposes of rotating the same during formation thereof;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary elevational view of apparatus elements adaptedto form a glass-reinforced resin rod having no core reinforcement; and

FIGS. 16 and 17 are fragmentary elevational view of rod members formedin accordance with this invention having no central reinforcing core.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, a fragment of a threaded rodwhich may form the reinforcing core of a rod construction made inaccordance with the teachings of this invention is illustrated. Corefragment 10 is seen to possess a regularly formed thread thereon such asmay be formed by a thread die. An alternative core construction maycomprise core fragment 12 illustrated in FIG. 2 in which regularindentations 14 may be formed by grooved wheels or the like which havepassed against and deformed the outer periphery of the rotating rodfragment 12. Such indentations differ from the threads 16 illustrated inFIG. 1 which are regularly formed with a predetermined pitch.

The cores 10 and 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, in accordance withthe teachings of this invention, are adapted to be formed of hightensile strength steel and function as reinforcements in rodconstructions having an overlying coating or shell of glass-reinforcedresin, thereby affording the steel cores superior corrosion resistance.Such reinforced rod constructions are to be used in environments whereengagement with corrosive gases and liquids is to be expected. Thus thereinforced rod constructions of this invention are particularly suitedfor downhole use in oil fields in which application of great tensilestrength is required in addition to corrosion resistance.

In accordance with my invention, the threads or recesses of the rods 10or 12 which are employed as reinforcing cores in the reinforced rodconstruction serve as anchoring devices for overlying layers of glassfilaments. The tensile strength of glass filaments is known to beextremely high, glass fibers having tensile strenghts of between 250,000to 400,000 p.s.i. Accordingly, by enveloping the reinforcing steel cores10 or 12 with longitudinal layers of glass filaments arranged along thelength of such metal cores, the tensile strength of such filaments willbe directly utilized when the resulting rod construction is placed undertension.

Pursuant to the method of rod fabrication hereinafter set forth indetail, a longitudinal sock of untwisted glass filaments, such as sock18 illustrated in FIG. 3, is first disposed about the outer periphery ofthe reinforcing metal core 12 and tied down at opposed ends toprojecting posts 22 of opposed clamp plates 20 abutting against opposedends of the core 12. It should be noted that in FIG. 3, illustratedreinforced rod construction 26, shown partly broken away, is in anintermediate stage of construction and a spiral, roving glass layer 25(see FIG. 9) is illustrated in the process of being applied to theperiphery of the partially formed rod over longitudinal layer 18 as therod is turned by the opposed clamp plates. Following the tying down ofthe sock 18 at opposed ends, it is saturated with a hardenable resincomposition which may be applied thereover; such composition by way ofexample may comprise epoxy resin in admixture with a hardener comprisingtriethylenetetramine.

Following these initial steps the core 12 is rotated by the clampingplates 20 which frictionally or otherwise engage the core endstherebetween. The plates may be mounted for rotational movement in alathe, and as seen in FIG. 3, the left end of the assembly may berotatably driven by chuck 23, and end 22 of opposed plate 20 may berotatably mounted in a supporting bearing, not illustrated.

In the course of rotational movement, a spiral layer 25 of glass roving24 is wound tautly about the rotating core 12 and longitudinal sock 18.The sock filaments are urged into the recesses or indentations 14 of thecore 12 so as to increase still further the tension therein. Byimparting additional tension to the filaments of the sock 18, thestrength of the ultimate rod construction is increased since any tensionexerted along the longitudinal axis of the completed rod 26 is reactedto not only by the central metal core reinforcement 12 but also fully bythe longitudinal filaments comprising the sock 18. Thus optimum use ismade of the high tensile strength of the longitudinal glass filaments.

It will be noted from FIG. 3 that the spiral roving 24 may be unwoundfrom a reel 30 which may move along the length of the partiallycompleted rod 26 as the same is rotated and axially driven by means of athreaded shaft 34 or the like in a manner well known in the art. Thereel may move along track 32 and be reciprocated by a reversible motivemeans, not illustrated, which drives shaft 34. It will be noted, inaddition from FIG. 3, that in the course of being unwound from reel 30,the glass roving filaments 24 passing from the reel 30 onto theperiphery of the partially formed rod 26 are saturated by dispenser 38with a hardenable resin composition such as a composition comprisingtwelve parts of epoxy resin to one part of a hardener such astriethylenetetramine. Thus the roving 24, upon reaching the periphery ofthe partially formed rod 26, is resin-saturated.

As above noted, the longitudinal roving filaments, following dispositionabout the periphery of the metal core 12 and about the periphery of theunderlying partially formed portion of the rod 26, are also saturatedwith the same resinous composition; or, in an alternate method ofapplication, the longitudinal socks may have the resinous materialpainted thereon following disposition on the outer periphery of thepartially formed rod as the same rotates.

Following buildup of the rod 26 to a desired diameter, such asillustrated in FIG. 4, the resin therein is allowed to initially cure atsubstantially room temperature or slightly thereabove (80°-100° F.) forabout 15 to 30 minutes so as to assure an initial resin set and theabsence of any relative movement between the central metal core and thesurrounding glass-resin shell. After the initial resin set or cure hasoccurred, the resulting rod construction may be cured at an elevatedtemperature of about 200° to 250° F. for between about 30 minutes and anhour. After final cure, the opposed anchor plates 20 may be cut freefrom the interposed formed rod and the opposed rod ends ground smoothabout their exterior periphery and at their terminal ends. To facilitatedisengagement between rod 26 and end plates 20, the inner faces of theplates may be coated with wax or other parting agent prior to clampingthe core ends therebetween.

The opposed ends of such a reinforced rod construction may have malethreads formed integrally thereon as by means of male thread mole 40illustrated in FIG. 7. FIG. 5 illustrates a completed rod construction26 having male threads 42 formed about the left end portion thereof, themold 40 being disposed about the right-hand portion thereof in thenormal process of thread formation from a plastic resinous mass. Thelatter, by way of example, may comprise 100 parts of epoxy resin, 12parts of a hardener such as triethylenetetramine based upon the weightof the resin, 30 parts per weight of the resin of a silica powder whichmay be 200 mesh, and 2 parts per 100 parts by weight of the resin of athioxotropic agent such as that sold under the brand name of CAB-O-SIL.In the process of having the threads formed on the opposed rod ends, ahardenable epoxy resin composition may be applied to the opposed rodterminal ends to insure a continuous protective shell of hardened resinabout the centrally disposed metal core.

The rod 26 of FIG. 5 having male threads 42 formed on opposed pen endsthereof may engage opposed female threads 44 of coupling 46 illustratedin FIG. 10. Coupling 46 is illustrated in section in FIG. 10 whichreveals details of the construction thereof. The interior tapered femalethreads 44 formed by means of threaded nipples 48, the male threads ofwhich serve as the thread forms and are coated with a separating agentsuch as paraffin wax layer 49 prior to the buildup thereover ofalternate layers of spiral roving and longitudinal roving.

As above noted, the rod main body portion may have the innermost glasslayer comprise a longitudinal sock which is drawn into the threadrecesses or depressions by means of an overlying spiral roving layer forpurposes of increasing the tension on such longitudinal glass rovingsand thereby obtain optimum benefit from the tensile strength thereof.However, in the formation of the female threads 44 of the coupling 46about the male threads of the nipples 48 illustrated in FIG. 10, theroving initially applied to the male threads 48 may comprise spiralroving saturated in epoxy resin whereby the hoop strength of theresulting female threads may be increased. In the process of couplingformation, after approximately one-half of the thickness of the couplinghas been completed, a preformed cylinder may be wedged over thepartially finished periphery, or a metal plate may be bent snugly aboutthe periphery of the partially formed coupling and welded in place.Resulting ring 50, illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, serves as arigidifying base or anchor for the adjacent spiral filaments and epoxymatrix forming the female threads 44, greatly improving the shearstrength thereof. When inserting the reinforcing cylinder or weldedplate in place, it is desirable to harden the partially completed rodfirst and following plate or ring insertion the remainder of the rodouter periphery may be completed.

FIG. 8 is illustrative of a rod made in accordance with the teachings ofthis invention which may have one end formed with male threads 42thereon and an opposed end having female threads formed in a couplingportion thereof. In FIG. 8, the male threads 42 are disposed on theright end of the rod and female coupling 43 having internal femalethreads is formed on the left end of the rod.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the manner whereby such a rod 54may be formed. In FIG. 6 threaded form 10 disposed on the right-handportion of the figure is in end-to-end abutting relationship with anipple 56 having tapered male threads 58 thereon for purposes of formingfemale threads 60 in the resulting coupling end portion 43. Interface 62between the abutting end of the high tensile strength rod 10 and thenipple 56 has a parting agent such as paraffin wax coated thereon so asto assure ready threaded withdrawal of the nipple 56 after the femalethreads have been formed. The ends of the reinforcing core 10 may have ahardened layer of resin applied thereover prior to use in the processfor insuring complete encapsulation and resulting corrosion resistance.It will be noted from FIG. 6 that a spiral ring or band 51 is employedin the coupling portion for purposes of functioning as an anchoring basefor the formed female threads 60 formed about the nipple 56 and composedof spiral roving and epoxy resin. Following buildup of the body portionof the rod 54 to the desired dimensions and the buildup of the couplingportion 43 to the desired dimensions, the resulting assembly of FIG. 6is cured at slightly above room temperature, about 100° F. to assure aset of the epoxy resin without causing relative movement between themetal core 10 and the surrounding glass-resin body-whereafter a finalcure at an elevated temperature of between 200° and 250° F. is effecteduntil the desired hardness is assured. Such curing method avoids theformation of internal fissures and gaps which would serve as focalpoints for failure when the rod is placed under stress, and assures agap-free integral core-shell construction.

In accordance with this invention, the steel core insert is preferablyof high tensile strength, such as high carbon steel designated "4130."It has been found that by inserting a high tensile steel core, thestrength of a sucker rod is increased substantially. By way of example,the flexural modulus of a sucker rod composed of aresin-glass-reinforced rod 11/4 inches in diameter and having no steelreinforcement was increased from 4.6 × 10⁶ p.s.i. to 6.2 × 10⁶ p.s.i.when a 3/8 inch high tensile steel rod insert of 4130 steel was employedin a rod construction made in accordance with this invention having atotal diameter of 11/8 inches. It is apparent that the dimensions of thefinal rod construction may vary to suit the particular purpose for whichdesigned, and the dimension of the reinforcing core may also vary forpurposes of providing the desired strength characteristics.

It should be appreciated that the high tensile steel core employed inthe above-described sucker rod application for use in oil fields doesnot merely provide reinforcement but, in addition, rovides additionalweight to avoid whiplash or excessive flexing which would occur in thecourse of reciprocating a lighter weight rod composed wholly ofglass-reinforced plastic, such as a novel rod hereinafter described indetail.

The presence of the steel core also provides desired rigidity whichprevents flexing and resulting fatigue which would occur in aglass-reinforced resin rod having no steel rigidifying core.

In addition, by virtue of the indented or recessed nature of theperiphery of the reinforcing cores employed in the rods of the providedinvention, the longitudinal glass-reinforcements are placed underadditional tension as the overlying spiral reinforcements force suchlongitudinal glass filaments or roving to enter into the threads orrecesses of the core. As a result, full advantage is obtained of thehigh tensile strength of the glass reinforcements. Since such sucker rodand equivalent applications are mainly subjected to tensile forces,optimum use is made of the longitudinal glass filament reinforcements.

The epoxy threads formed in accordance with the teachings of thisinvention have great shear resistance, the resistance being greatlyassisted by the adjacent disposition of the anchoring metal annulus withrespect to the female threads above described. In accordance with thisinvention, in the instance of rod constructions of sufficiently largedimensions, the male threads may also be formed adjacent a steel bentplate or annulus which is embedded in the rod body beneath the malethreads formed thereover. Thus in accordance with this invention, theright-hand portion of rod 54 illustrated in FIG. 8 may also have anannular plate similar to plate 50 of FIG. 10 formed beneath the malethreads to reinforce said male threads 42 against axial shear. Also, toobtain maximum anchoring of the plate members employed for reinforcingpurposes in the provided invention, plate 50 may have projections 47(FIG. 6) disposed on opposed faces thereof to assist in anchoring theplate in the body of the coupling or rod which is integrally formed.

The foregoing description has been specific to a rod construction andmethod of manufacturing the same in which a reinforcing core iscentrally disposed in the rod formed. In those applications in which theadded weight and strength of a steel core is not necessary or desired, aglass-reinforced-resin rod construction may be formed without a corereinforcement.

In such a method of rod manufacture, the rod central core compriseslongitudinal glass filaments which are placed under tension. Thus inFIG. 12 a longitudinal assemblage 70 of glass filaments saturated in acurable resin mixture such as epoxy resin and triethylenetramine isclamped in opposed jaws of the chucks 72 and the chucks may be movedapart as by the hydraulic units 74 illustrated in FIG. 15 to place thefilaments of the interposed assemblage 70 under tension. The tensionedfilaments are then rotated by means of motors 76 connected to theopposed glass-anchoring chucks 72. The motors rotate the opposedassemblage end portions in the same direction of rotation at exactly thesame speed of rotation whereby the longitudinal filaments 70 remainstraight, untwisted and under tension. During rotation, spiral filaments78 and 80 (see FIGS. 11 and 12) are unwound from rotatable reels 82 and84, respectively, which are moved along the length of the rotatingassemblage 70 by motor driven screws 86 or equivalent motive meansforcing the opposed reels 82 and 84 to move at desired and substantiallyidentical linear speeds. Friction brakes or equivalent means may beemployed to insure the application of the spiral windings of thefilaments 78 and 80 under desired tension to the periphery of theassemblage 70 as said filaments are unwound from rotatable reels 82 and84. The latter reels are rotatably mounted on flanged, non-rotatablesupports 84 which are forced to move along the screw shafts 86 on whichthey are threadably mounted but unable to rotate therewith because ofinterconnecting strap 88 secured to flange portions of the supports 84.Thus as the shafts 86 rotate, the supports 84 are axially driven alongthe length of assemblage 70 and filaments 78 and 80 played out undertension as the reels 82 and 84 rotate.

Referring to FIG. 12, it will be noted that the reels 82 and 84 aresubstantially directly opposed and accordingly any pull exerted on theassemblage 70 by the spiral filaments 78 or 80 is neutralized by thepull of the opposed spiral filaments. To enable the filaments to besimultaneously wound about the assemblage from the opposed reels 82 and84, the filaments must approach the rotating assemblage 70 so as to besubstantially oppositely disposed at the points of peripheral engagementwith assemblage 70 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 12. The filamentsare wound in overlying layers and engage assemblage 70 at adjacentpoints as also illustrated in FIG. 12.

All filaments are saturated with a hardenable resin composition at thetime of application, passing through a resin bath or have resindispensed thereon as by a dispenser 38 illustrated in FIG. 3 atsubstantially the instant of application to the periphery of assemblage70. After the spiral wrap of FIG. 12 is applied, a new longitudinalassemblage is applied thereover and tensioned, and the above-describedprocedures repeated until a rod of desired dimensions has been built up.Subsequent longitudinal assemblages may be tensioned by means ofconcentric tensioning means arranged about chucks 72, which assemblagesare tied down onto the surface of the already completed rod by spiralwraps, or subsequent assemblages may also be engaged by the chucks 72which are again tensioned after engagement with each longitudinalassemblage and the partially completed rod. The final rod section is asappearing in FIG. 13 comprising alternate longitudinal and spiral glasslayers 18a and 25a, respectively, embedded in a resin matrix. After anannular reinforcement such as ring 50 or 51 has been set in place, ahardenable epoxy resin paste may be formed thereabout to insure theabsence of any voids between the reinfrocement and the underlyingpartially formed rod or coupling.

The tensioned longitudinal glass filaments of the resulting rod 90afford such resulting rod excellent tensile strength and the rod as awhole possesses superior corrosion resistance. Male and female threadsmay be formed on opposed ends in the manner above described with respectto the rods having core reinforcements. Thus rod 92 of FIG. 16 having nocentral metal core has opposed threaded male and female ends 94 and 96,respectively, whereas rod 98 of FIG. 17 has opposed male ends 99 forengaging the female threads of a coupling such as coupling 46 of FIG.10. The rods 90, 92 and 98 having no steel reinforcing core are lighterin weight than the previously described rods of the type illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 8 of the drawings, but while possessed of lesser flexingstrength possess equal, if not superior, corrosion resistance and areintended to serve those applications where the properties of lightnessin weight, high tensile strength and corrosion resistance are desired.

In view of the many modifications which may be made in the invention asabove indicated, it is intended that this invention be limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A solid reinforced rod construction substantially completelydevoid of internal fissures and gaps and of high tensile strengthcomprising a plurality of longitudinal glass filament reinforcementsunder tension and a plurality of glass filament reinforcements arrangedsubstantially transversely to said rod longitudinal glass filamentsembedded in a matrix of cured resin; said transversely arrangedfilaments being wound about the longitudinal axis of said rod in layersseparated by longitudinal filament layers; each layer of transverselyarranged filaments comprising filament strata wound under tension in thesame directions of rotation about the longitudinal axis of said rod. 2.The reinforced rod construction of claim 1 in which the longitudinal andtransverse filament layers are disposed about a central core of hightensile strength having surface indentations into which the longitudinalfilaments under tension are urged by the transverse windings undertension so as to completely fill said surface indentations.
 3. A solidreinforced rod construction substantially completely devoid of internalfissures and gaps and of high tensile strength comprising a discretecore of high tensile strength having a plurality of surfaceindentations, an integral shell encapsulating said core comprising aplurality of longitudinal glass filaments under tension arrangedsubstantially uniformly about said core, parallel to the longitudinalaxis of said core; a plurality of glass filaments arranged substantiallytransversely to said rod longitudinal axis urging said longitudinalstrands under tension into said core indentations; said transverselyarranged filaments being wound about the longitudinal axis of said rodin layers separated by longitudinal filament layers; each layer oftransversely arranged filaments comprising two overlapping filamentstrata wound under tension about the longitudinal axis of said rod.
 4. Asolid reinforced rod construction substantially completely devoid ofinternal fissures and gaps and of high tensile strength comprising aplurality of longitudinal glass filaments under tension and a pluralityof glass filaments arranged substantially transversely to said rodlongitudinal glass filaments; all of said filaments being embedded in amatrix of cured resin; said transversely arranged filaments being woundabout the longitudinal axis of said rod in overlying two ply filamentlayers; the filament plies of each layer being wound in the samedirections of rotation about said rod longitudinal axis undersubstantially equal tension.
 5. The rod construction of claim 3 in whichsaid core of high tensile strength comprises a rod of 4130 steel.
 6. Therod construction of claim 5 in which the diameter thereof is about 13/8inches, the diameter of said steel rod is 3/8 inch and said rod has aflexural modulus of about 6.2 × 10⁶ p.s.i.
 7. The rod construction ofclaim 3 in which said glass reinforcements comprise layers oflongitudinal and spiral glass filaments embedded under tension in amatrix of cured epoxy resin.
 8. The rod construction of claim 7 in whichthe glass layer disposed closest to said core comprises a layer oflongitudinal filaments encompassing the rod periphery, extendingsubstantially parallel to the rod axis and maintained under tension byspiral filaments which lock the longitudinal filaments in the coreindentations.
 9. The rod construction of claim 3 in which the thicknessof the outer shell is equal approximately to the diameter of the rodcore.
 10. The rod construction of claim 3 in which said core surfaceindentations comprise pre-formed threads arranged along the axisthereof.
 11. The rod construction of claim 3 in which said core surfaceindentations comprise annular grooves arranged at regular spacedintervals and formed in the core periphery at substantially right anglesto the longitudinal axis thereof.
 12. The rod construction of claim 3 inwhich opposed end portions thereof have male and female threadsrespectively integrally formed thereon.
 13. The rod construction ofclaim 12 in which an annular reinforcement is concentrically embedded insubstantially the middle of said rod construction outer shell at one rodend; said female threads being formed about the inner periphery of saidannular reinforcement at said one end.